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24
Laura tooka deep breath as she stood at the bottom of the stairs that led to the apartment above her shop. She hadn’t texted Knox to ask if she could come by, but Kennedy was right. She needed to apologize. He hadn’t done anything wrong, and she’d been a bitch.
From the beginning of their agreement, he’d done everything she’d asked him to, including sneaking around like they were having some sort of torrid affair. Which, was sort of what it was. Except neither of them was married. Either way, she’d forced him to keep their arrangement that secretive.
A few times she’d sensed that it bothered him, when he’d dropped jokes talking about how nice it would be to come through the front door, and things like that. But he hadn’t pressed the issue.
A strange feeling washed over her as she climbed the steps and stood in front of the door. The door that she’d helped install. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected that standing behind the door she’d ordered online would be a man she loved.
Actually, that wasn’t true. She read enough romance novels that she’d certainly had that fantasy. But in those fantasies, he’d been in love with her as well. He’d wanted the same things that she had. He’d wanted a family and to raise that family in the town that had always felt like home to her even when it was just a vacation retreat in her youth.
She lifted her hand to knock but before she did, the door opened and Laura thought that she’d prepared herself for what she’d see, but she’d been wrong. Knox stood in front of her holding a duffle bag.
It had been six days since she’d been up close and personal with Knox Savage and in that time, he’d gotten even sexier. The scruff on his strong jaw had grown out. Even though she knew it was impossible, he seemed taller. His shoulders broader. His cheekbones more defined. His raw beauty was infused with sex appeal and the sight sucked all the oxygen out of the atmosphere.
When he saw her standing in front of him speechless, concern flooded his whiskey gaze. “Hey, is everything okay?”
Her eyes darted down to the bag and her heart sank. Was he going to leave town without even saying goodbye. If he was, she couldn’t blame him but it still hurt.
“Are you…leaving?”
“I’ve been staying at the house I bought while I reno it. I just stopped by to grab some clothes.”
“Oh, okay.” Kennedy had mentioned that Knox had bought a place on Bluebird Lane. She’d also said that the only thing sexier than Knox’s body was his credit score. Apparently, it was the best score Kennedy had ever seen.
“Are you okay?” Knox asked again, concern brimming in his eyes.
She knew that she probably looked like death thanks to not sleeping and barely eating. If she’d been thinking clearer, she would have freshened up before coming over. But if she’d done that then she would have missed him, so…
“Laura.”
Knox’s gruff voice snapped her out of her inner thoughts.
She shook her head. “Yeah, I’m fine. Can I come in?”
His lips curled in a half-grin as he took a step back. “It’s your apartment.”
She hadn’t been in the space since he’d rented it eight weeks ago. All the time they’d spent together had either been downstairs in the back of the Snack Shack or at her house. He seemed larger in this space than the first time she’d showed it to him. He took up the entire room with his presence.
A wave of awareness washed over her. Just like her house and the shop, she’d never be able to be in here without thinking of him again. He’d imprinted himself on every area of her life.
“Did you want to sit down?” he motioned to the couch as he set his bag down.
She shook her head. “No.”
If she did that, she was scared that he’d sit down next to her. Then their legs might touch, or his arm might brush hers. If that happened, she wasn’t sure she could be held accountable for her behavior.
As she stared up at his gorgeous face, she wanted so badly to reach out and touch him. She hadn’t realized just how badly she’d missed him. Sure, she’d known that she hadn’t stopped thinking about him, not for one second. But there was a deep ache in her soul that she knew only being wrapped in his arms would soothe.
“Did you want something to drink?” he asked as he walked into the kitchen.
“No.” That was a lie. She’d love a shot of something, but just like sitting on the sofa beside him, she feared it would be a slippery slope. She needed to keep her guard up; if her inhibitions were loosened, she’d end up naked in .0003 seconds.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked as he took a step toward her.
Instinctively, she retreated back. When she did, she saw the hurt in his eyes. She hadn’t meant to do more harm by coming here. This was supposed to be closure, for both of them. But somehow the words just weren’t coming to her.
She took a deep breath. “I didn’t mean to…I just… this isn’t easy for me.”
